On February 4th, Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) was able to rescue 127 members of the Taang-Palaung ethnic group who were being recruited as new recruits and were being giving military training at Jayang village militia camp in Lashio Township, Northern Shan State.
Those recruited Taang ethnic groups are from Jayang, Mang kong, and Nam Mo villages and other villages. All together 20 children aged from 8 to 17 years old, including school age youths, 15 women and 92 other adults. A total of 127 people.
The TNLA said that the parents of the children who were recruited by the Jayan Militia had complained to their administration for help. For the past two months, the evacuated Ta Ang Thai people have been recruited by Jayang’s military forces to recruit them as militia, and recently, during training, the TNLA forces raided the area.
Another resident, who did not want to be named, said that on the day the TNLA forces entered the militia camp, there was a battle with the military council troops, and the military council attacked with a helicopter. He said that because of the fighting, more than 100 local people from Mangkong and nearby villages had to flee to nearby villages and paddy fields.
On that day, when the TNLA side went to take them out, the military council forces fired 30 times from the air, the TNLA forces said. He also said that when the TNLA forces entered the camp, they used nearly 50 villagers, including children and pregnant women of the Jayan militia’s families, as human shields and entered the camp, so the militia did not fire. The Kaungkha Militia led by U Matunaw separated from the Kachin National Liberation Army KIA and made peace with the army in 1991.
In the past 2020, a variety of drugs worth billions of Burmese currency were seized in the Kaungkha area, and later some of the leaders were detained, and the Kaungkha militia was disbanded after March 2020. At present, among the nine canceled Kaungkha militia units, the Kaungkha People’s militia has been changed to the Man Paing Militia, and the existing Man Kyae, Jayan, Mile Lee, and Phaung Sai (2) militia groups are still as it is.
Jayang village has 600 houses, about 200 houses are inhabited by ethnic Kachin. The Jayan militia was formed in 1991, and local residents said that they had been recruiting new members into the militia ever since. It is said that there are Taang Palaung ethnic officials among those who are in the service.
In some villages, including Jayang Village, in Mine Yaw District of Lashio Township, the TNLA forces, as well as the Kokang’s MNDAA, Rakhine Army AA forces, often operate jointly. It is also a place where clashes often occur with the Military and its militia groups.
